To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee

THE NOVEL

THE CHARACTERS

SCOUT

Jean Louise Finch, whose nickname is Scout, is only five-and-a-half years
old when the novel begins, but she is already a complex and interesting
personality. Scout's mother died when she was two and her father is a
scholarly man in his fifties who has no idea of how to play with his children
or talk to them on their own level. Scout has taught herself to read at
an early age, and she has a vocabulary equal to that of many adults. Her
habit of speaking her mind in the presence of grownups makes Scout often
seem older than her years. In recalling her first day in the first grade,
Scout thinks of herself and her schoolmates as little adults, who must
take care of the confused first-year teachers. Later, when she is unjustly
punished for getting into a fight with a cousin, Scout takes it upon herself
to explain to her uncle why his methods of handling children are wrong.
After these incidents we are only mildly surprised when Scout is able
to find the right words to turn away a lynch mob that has come to kill
Tom Robinson.

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Scout is also something of an outsider. A tomboy, she is still not
completely accepted by her brother Jem and their friend Dill. We never
hear of her having any close friends her own age, either boys or girls.
And in contrast to Jem, who is constantly disappointed by the shortcomings
of human nature, Scout seems to take bad news in stride. At one point,
following the conviction of Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch expresses surprise
that Jem, rather than Scout, seems most likely to become embittered
over the injustice they have witnessed. Perhaps you will not be surprised.
Scout's sense of humor and detachment seem to protect her from the disillusionments
that her more vulnerable brother falls prey to.

Most readers find that the portrayal of Scout is not only interesting
but highly believable. Perhaps this is because we all recall times from
our own childhood when we were smarter and more aware than adults gave
us credit for being. Scout is able to put this awareness into words.
Furthermore, Scout's sense of humor- and her unwitting mistakes and
misunderstandings- save her from being a smart aleck. We don't feel
that Scout is setting herself above the adults she criticizes.

There are always a few readers, however, who conclude that the portrayal
of Scout is less than convincing. They argue that many of Scout's opinions
sound too adult and that she is always too ready to come up with the
right words for the occasion.

Before you make up your mind about Scout, you should remember that
the voice we hear narrating the story is actually that of the grownup
Scout- Jean Louise Finch- looking back on events that happened years
earlier. Some of the opinions and ideas expressed in the novel are really
those of the older Jean Louise. You should judge Scout by her actions
and quoted words in the story, keeping these separate from the opinions
of the narrator.